Keeping sane in the summertime chaos
We’ve all been there, standing in line at the grocery store. The oldest kid wont stop asking for the Minecraft magazine on the rack, three year old is crying, toddler is grabbing everything in the cart, the baby is due for a bottle, and the poor cashier is waiting elusive front end manager to help with the person in front of you in line. All while Hell is moments from breaking loose. It’s a sauna outside, this is the first time you left the house in too long, and the kids have forgotten how to behave in public. How can you possibly save this day? Clearly it’s all down hill from here, might as well just call it, right? Then you remember, there’s a free community splash pad three minutes from the store! A total day saver! But wait… you didn’t bring the swim bag, that moment of hope is now crushed.
The Secret
What if I told you I had the best, most brilliant, summertime sanity saving idea? Car. Swim. Bag. Mic drop. Total game changer right? Take an unused bag and pack it for a trip to the splash pad/pool/lake. Swimsuits, towel for each child large enough to fight over a towel, two swim diapers per diapered kid, sunscreen, and a couple water bottles. Throw it in the back of the trunk, and be ready to go! When you get home from your impromptu water fun, throw the used suits and towels in the washer, restock diapers and water bottles. Make SURE it ends up back in the car ready to go for the next time.
But…
“What happens when we have a planned trip and then I have to go get the suits out of the car and packed in the main bag”. Or “but then I don’t have suits and towels in the house ready to go”. Go to Amazon and order a cheap second suit for each of the kids. Yes, spend the $7-10 per kid, on an extra suit, to save the tiniest bit of the sanity you have left. “We’re really stretched thin right now, and with five kids I just can’t swing that right now”. Valid, then be ok with the walk to the car if you need the suit and towel outside of the car. This easy summertime hack has saved our afternoons multiple times this summer, and its only July! Give it a try and let me know if it ends up working for your family!